Contributions of Cadillac to the automotive industry

From its earliest years Cadillac aimed for precision engineering and stylish luxury finish, causing its cars to be ranked amongst the finest in the US. Utilization of interchangeable parts was an important innovation in 1908. Cadillac was the first volume manufacturer of a fully enclosed cab in 1910, and in 1912 was first to incorporate an electrical system enabling starting, ignition, and lighting.

In 1915 it introduced a 90-degree flathead V8 engine with 70 horsepower (52 kW) at 2400 rpm and 180 foot-pounds force (240 N·m) of torque, allowing its cars to attain 65 miles per hour. This was faster than most roads could accommodate at this time. Cadillac pioneered the dual-plane V8 crankshaft in 1918. In 1928 Cadillac introduced the first clashless Synchro-Mesh manual transmission, utilizing constant mesh gears. In 1930 Cadillac implemented the first V-16 engine, with a 45-degree overhead valve, 452 cubic inches, and 165 horsepower (123 kW), one of the most powerful and quietest engines in the United States. The development and introduction of the V8, V16 and V-12 helped to make Cadillac the "Standard of the World."

A later model of the V8 engine, known as the overhead valve, set the standard for the entire American automotive industry in 1949.

Read More ..

History of Cadillac

Cadillac was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company when Henry Ford departed along with several of his key partners and the company was dissolved. With the intent of liquidating the firm's assets, Ford's financial backers William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen called in engineer Henry M. Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company to appraise the plant and equipment before selling them.

Instead, Leland persuaded them to continue the automobile business using Leland's proven single-cylinder engine. The company after Henry Ford left needed a new name, and on 22 August 1902 the company reformed as the Cadillac Automobile Company. Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing and the Cadillac Automobile Company merged in 1905.

The Cadillac automobile was named after the 17th-century French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, who founded Detroit in 1701.

Read More ..

Cadillac

Cadillac (pronounced /ˈkædɨlæk/, is a luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors. Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mainly in North America.

Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind Buick and among the oldest automobile brands in the world. Depending on how one chooses to measure, Cadillac is arguably older than Buick. Since GM has discontinued offering Oldsmobile, Buick has the distinction as the oldest American make.

Cadillac was born in 1902, at the dawn of the twentieth century. Its founder, Henry Leland, a master mechanic and entrepreneur, named the company after his ancestor, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, born Antoine Laumet, the founder of Detroit. It was purchased in 1909 by General Motors and within six years, Cadillac laid the foundation for the modern mass production of automobiles by demonstrating the complete interchangeability of its precision parts, also establishing itself as America's premier luxury car. This is also the inspiration for the company’s crest, which is based on a coat of arms "created" by Detroit's founder, around the time of his marriage in Quebec, in 1687 (there is no ancient "Cadillac" family or coat of arms in France). Cadillac pioneered many accessories in automobiles, including full electrical systems, the clashless manual transmission and the steel roof. The brand developed three engines, one of which (the V8 engine) set the standard for the American automotive industry. Cadillac is the first American car to win the prestigious Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club of England - having successfully demonstrated the interchangeability of its component parts during a reliability test in 1908; this spawned the firm's slogan "Standard of the World". It won that trophy a second time, in 1912, for incorporating electric starting and lighting in a production automobile.

Read More ..

Ferrari 250

The Ferrari 250 is a sports car built by Ferrari from 1953 to 1964. The company's most successful early line, the 250 series included several variants. It was replaced by the 275 and the 330.

Racing models

Typical of Ferrari, the Colombo V12 made its debut on the race track, with the racing 250s preceding the street cars by three years.

225 S

A predecessor to the 250 line was the 225 S introduced at the 1952 Giro di Sicilia. Two of the two-seat sports prototypes were built, an open barchetta and closed coupe both by Vignale. Seven 225 S cars were entered at the Mille Miglia, but these were overshadowed by their larger-engined 250 S brother. Although not as heralded as the 250 line, the 225 did play one unique historical role: A 225 S tested at Imola was the first Ferrari to drive on that course.

250 S

The first of the 250 line was the experimental 250 S berlinetta prototype entered in the 1952 Mille Miglia. The company's newest product was entrusted to Giovanni Bracco and Alfonso Rolfo and was severely tested by the Mercedes-Benz 300SL racers run by Rudolf Caracciola, Hermann Lang, and Karl Kling. The little 230 PS (169 kW; 227 hp) Ferrari was outgunned in the long straights but fought back in the hills and curves and Bracco emerged victorious at the end. This same car was later entered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana.

The little 250 S used a 2,250 mm (88.6 in) wheelbase with a "Tuboscocca" tubular trellis frame. Underneath were double wishbones at the front and a live axle located with double longitudinal semi-elliptic springs at the rear. Drum brakes and worm and sector steering were the norm. The dry-sump 3.0 L (2,953 cc (180 cu in)) engine used three Weber 36DCF carburettors and was mated directly to a five-speed manual transmission.

250 MM

Lauding the success of the 250 S at the Mille Miglia, Ferrari showed a more-conventional chassis for the new 250 engine at the 1952 Paris Motor Show. Pinin Farina clothed this chassis, with the celebratory 250 MM coupe launched at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show. This car was almost plain by contemporary standards, but it possessed a certain purposefulness with its small grille and compact tail complete with a panoramic rear window. Carrozzeria Vignale's open barchetta also broke new styling ground, with recessed headlights and side vents becoming a staple of Ferrari design for the 1950s.

The 250 MM's wheelbase was longer than the 250 S at 2,420 mm (95.3 in), with the saloon 50 kg (110 lb) heavier than the 850 kg (1,874 lb) barchetta on a conventional tube frame. The V12 engine's dry sump was abandoned for the production car, and the transmission lost one cog as well, but power was up to 240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp).

Like the 250 S, the 250 MM was a racing car, debuting at the Giro di Sicilia with privateer Paulo Marzotto. A Carrozzeria Morelli-bodied 250 MM barchetta came fourth in the 1954 Mille Miglia with driver Clemente Biondetti. The V12-powered 250 MM was replaced by the four-cylinder 625 TF and 735 S later in 1953.
250 Monza

An unusual hybrid between the light four-cylinder 750 Monza and the 250 line was the 250 Monza of 1954. This model used the 250 engine in the short wheelbase chassis from the 750 Monza. The first two used the Pininfarina barchetta shape of the 750 Monza and a one-off 500 Mondial. Two more 250 Monzas were built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, an early use of the now-familiar coachbuilder. Although a frequent entrant through 1956, the 250 Monzas failed to gain much success and the union of the Monza chassis and 250 engine was not pursued beyond this model.

250 Testarossa

The racing 250 Testa Rossa was one of the most successful Ferrari racing cars in its history, with three wins at Le Mans, four wins at Sebring, and two wins at Buenos Aires.It sold at auction for a record breaking 12.2 million dollars.
250 GTO
The 250 GTO, designed for racing, was manufactured between 1962 and 1964. A radically restyled GTO, the 250 GTO/64, was launched in 1964 and 36 examples were built.

250 P

The 250 engine from the Testa Rossa was mounted in the midships position for the 250 P prototype racer of 1963.
250 LM

The mid-engined 250 Le Mans looked every bit the prototype racer but was intended to be produced as a road-going GT. Descended from the 250 P, the Le Mans also appeared in 1963 and sported Pininfarina bodywork. Ferrari was unable to persuade the FIA that he would build the 100 examples required to homologate the car for GT racing. Eventually, 32 LMs were built up to 1965. As a result, Ferrari withdrew from factory participation in the GT class of the 1965 World Sportscar Championship, allowing the Shelby Cobra team to dominate the class.

Read More ..

Ferrari 166 S

The Ferrari 166 S was an evolution of Ferrari's 125 S sports race car that became a sports car for the street in the form of the 166 Inter. Only 3 Ferrari 166 S's were produced, soon followed by the production of the 166 Mille Miglia (MM) which was made in much larger numbers from 1949 to 1952. The 166 MM were in fact updated 166 S and were the cars that score many of Ferrari’s first international victories and made Ferrari a serious competitor on the racing industry. It shared its Aurelio Lampredi-designed tube frame and double wishbone/live axle suspension with the 125. Like the 125, the wheelbase was 2420 mm long. 39 examples were produced from its introduction at the Turin Motor Show in 1948 to its retirement in 1950. It was replaced by the 2.3 L 195 S in 1950. The first 166 Inter was designed by Touring's chief stylist, Carlo Anderloni. 166 S competition models were generally coachbuilt by Carrozzeria Allemano.

The 1.5 L Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine of the 125 was changed, however, with single overhead camshafts specified and a larger 2.0 L (1995 cc/121 in³) displacement. This was achieved with both a bore and stroke increase, to 60 by 58.8 mm respectively. Output was 110 to 140 hp (82 to 104 kW) at 6,000 rpm with one to three carburettors.

Read More ..

Scuderia Spider 16M

To commemorate Ferrari's 16th victory in the Formula 1 Constructor's World Championship 2008, Ferrari unveiled Scuderia Spider 16M, at World Finals in Mugello. It is a convertible version of the 430 Scuderia.

Engine is rated 510 PS (380 kW; 500 hp) at 8500 rpm and 470 N·m (350 lb·ft) torque at 5250 rpm. The car has 1,340 kg (2,954 lb) dry weight (80 kg lighter than F430 Spider) and 1,440 kg (3,175 lb) curb weight. It accelerates from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds, with top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph).

499 vehicles are to be released beginning early 2009

Read More ..

430 Scuderia

Serving as the successor to the Challenge Stradale, the 430 Scuderia (scuderia meaning "stable of horses", but also used in the context of motor racing teams, including Ferrari's own) was unveiled by Michael Schumacher at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. Aimed to compete with cars like the Porsche RS-models and the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera (superleggera meaning super light weight), it is lighter (by 100 kg/220 lb) and more powerful (515 PS (379 kW; 508 hp) at 8500 rpm) than the standard F430. Increased power comes from a revised intake, exhaust, and an ion-sensing knock-detection system that allows for a higher compression ratio. Thus the weight-to-power ratio is reduced from 2.96 kg/hp to 2.5 kg/hp. In addition to the weight saving measures, the Scuderia semi-automatic transmission gains improved "Superfast", known as "Superfast2", software for faster 60 millisecond shift-times. A new traction control system combines the F1-Trac traction and stability control with the E-Diff electronic differential. The Ferrari 430 Scuderia does 0-100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds, with a top speed of 198 miles per hour (319 km/h). Ferrari claims that around their test track, Fiorano Circuit, it is faster than a Ferrari Enzo.

When tested on Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson said "It appears to have been welded together by apes", referring to the exposed metalwork. However, he also said that it was a knife-edge racer, which is how a Ferrari should be. He was deeply impressed with its performance, and said that it blew away any Lamborghini. When given to the Stig to take round the Top Gear Test Track, it completed the circuit in an impressive 1 minute 19.7 seconds - as fast as the Nissan GT-R, but faster than the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (1.20.9) and the Porsche Carrera GT (1.19.8).

Read More ..

F430 GT3

Originally based on the F430 Challenge, the F430 GT3 is a specialized racing car designed for the FIA GT3 European Championship and is also used in other national GT championships such as British GT and FFSA GT. It is mechanically similar to the F430 Challenge, but has better developed aerodynamics and more power.

The car has a 4.3 L V8 engine which produces 550 hp (410 kW; 558 PS) making the GT3 more powerful than its GT2 counterpart. However due to the GT3 regulations stating that the car must have a power to weight ratio of around 2.6 kg/hp, the car weighs 1,219 kg (2,687 lb) in race trim (driver and fuel excluded)[11], which is roughly 119 kg (262 lb) more than the GT2 spec car . Despite the higher power and the car only weighing slightly more, it is significantly slower than the GT2 version; for example in the 2007 Spa 24 hours endurance race, in which both models were entered, the GT3 spec vehicles' best qualification time was around 8 seconds slower than that set by the GT2 spec vehicle.

Read More ..

F430 GT2

Built to replace the 360 GTC in 2006, the GT2 is a racing car designed to compete in international GT2 class competition, such as in the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, and FIA GT Championship. F430 GT2s also compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They are the fastest and most developed racing versions of the F430.

In FIA GT2 championship, in order to render the car performances more uniform, the cars are forced to run with a specific minimal weight and with an engine restrictor that depends on the engine displacement. Hence the 4.3 L V8 engine in GT2 races is destroked to 4.0 L in order to compete in the 3.8–4.0 L class, which is allowed to race with a minimum weight of 1,100 kg (2,425 lb). Using the 4.3 L engine, the minimum weight of the F430 would increase by 50 kg (110 lb). In this race configuration, the engine produces somewhat less power, but this is compensated by the lower car weight, which yields a better weight/power ratio.

The F430 GT2s won their class championships in the ALMS and FIA GT, as well as scoring a class win at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring

Read More ..

Ferrari F430 Challenge

The Ferrari F430 Challenge is a production-based race car built by Ferrari. The car is directly based on the standard F430 and uses the same 4.3L V8 engine. It was introduced at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show, and is built to compete in the Ferrari Challenge series, replacing the Ferrari 360 Challenge since 2007 in that regard.

The F430 Challenge is based completely on the road-going Ferrari F430. The engine has been left alone, and the body has received very few styling changes. The transmission is derived from Ferrari's Formula One program, and offers the same 150 ms shift times as in the standard F430. Fifth and sixth gears have been tweaked, as well as the final drive ratio, for the Challenge. Weight saving efforts have affected all areas of the car, the most noticeable of which being the cockpit. Inside, the F430 Challenge has no carpets, stereo, and the standard seats have been replaced with full racing seats, as well as the steering wheel being replaced with a racing version. The new wheel can be easily detached for easy access into and out of the car. It also has buttons for pit radio, and for interfacing with the digital instrument display. A full roll cage and racing harnesses are also present in the cockpit. The characteristics of the car have been retained from the standard gearbox's "Race" mode. Traction control is permanently disengaged, along with the stability system. The car does retain ABS and ASR though. The racing modifications are present in most all of the components, with the E-Differential being replaced by a mechanical one, and the suspension settings modified for racing.

Performance

The engine is the same 90° 4.3 liter V8 as in the standard F430. The output remains the same at 483 hp (360 kW), as well as the torque at 343 lb·ft (465 N·m). The engine is equipped with Double Overhead Camshafts and contains 4 valves per cylinder. The engine is, and always has been, naturally aspirated. The engine is mounted behind the cockpit, and faces longitudinally (along the length of the car).

The transmission is the 6-speed, paddle operated, sequential manual found in the F430. The transmission uses Formula One technology and can shift gears in 150 ms. The brakes use carbon ceramic material, which is very resistant to brake fade. Both front and rear suspension use double wishbones and anti-roll bars. The exhaust system is updated for the Challenge car, placing the outlet ports higher in the back of the car. The back also includes a new grille to help with drawing heat out of the engine.

Read More ..

F430 Spider

The F430 Spider is the convertible version based on the coupé. The F430 Spider is Ferrari's 21st road going convertible. The Spider is—just like the coupé—quite similar in looks to the Ferrari 360.

The roof panel automatically folds away inside a space above the engine bay. The conversion from a closed top to an open-air convertible is a two-stage folding-action. After a short to and fro the entire top disappears into a closed storage area between the seating and the engine.

The interior of the Spider is identical to that of the coupé.

Read More ..

Ferrari F430

The Ferrari F430 is a sports car that was produced by the Italian automaker Ferrari from 2004 to 2009, as a successor to the 360. It debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show. Its replacement, the Ferrari 458 Italia, was unveiled on 28 July 2009 and is on sale now

The MSRP for a Ferrari F430 is $186,925 to $217,310 in the United States, £118,500 in the United Kingdom, approximately €175,000 in the European Union and $389,000 for the base model to $450,000 for the Spider F1 in Australia.

Design
The rear end of the F430
F430 Side Mirror

The body has been redesigned to be more curvaceous and aerodynamic. Although the drag coefficient remains the same, downforce has been greatly enhanced. A great deal of Ferrari heritage is found in the car: at the rear, the Enzo's tail lights and interior vents have been added. The car's name has been etched into the Testarossa-styled driver's side mirror. The large oval openings in the front bumper are reminiscent of Ferrari racing models from the 60s, specifically the 156 "sharknose" Formula One car and 250 TR61 Le Mans cars of Phil Hill.

Engine

The F430 features a 4.3L V8 petrol engine derived from a shared Ferrari/Maserati design. This new power plant is a significant departure for the F430 line: the engines of all previous V8 Ferraris were descendants of the Dino racing program of the 1950s. This fifty year development cycle came to an end with the entirely new 4.3L, the architecture of which is expected to replace the Dino-derived V12 in most other Ferrari cars. The engine's output specifications are: 490 PS (360 kW; 483 hp) at 8500 rpm and 465 N·m (343 lb·ft) of torque at 5250 rpm, 80% of which is available below 3500rpm. Despite a 20% increase in displacement , engine weight had grown by only 4kg and engine dimensions have decreased, for easier packaging. The conrods , pistons and crankshaft are all entirely new, the four-valve cylinder head , valve heads and intake trumpets directly takes measurements from F1 engines , for better volumetric efficiency. The F430 has a top speed of 196 mph (315 km/h).

Brakes

The brakes on the F430 were designed in close collaboration with Brembo.[5] The result has been a new cast-iron alloy for the discs. The new alloy includes molybdenum which has better heat dissipation performance. Another option Ferrari is providing are Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) ceramic composite discs. Ceramics have much higher resistance to heat and brake fade than metals, the F430's brakes offer not only good performance but also a longer lifespan. Ferrari claims the brakes will not fade even after 300-360 laps at their test track.

Features

The F430 includes the E-Diff, a computer-controlled limited slip active differential which can vary the distribution of torque based on inputs such as steering angle and lateral acceleration.

Other notable features include the first application of Ferrari's manettino steering wheel-mounted control knob. Drivers can select from five different settings which modify the vehicle's ESP system, "Skyhook" electronic suspension, transmission behavior, throttle response, and E-Diff. The feature is similar to Land Rover's "Terrain Response" system.

The Ferrari F430 was also released with exclusive Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 EMT tires, which have a striking V-shaped tread design, run-flat capability, and OneTRED technology.

In the US the company requested an exemption from the airbag design requirements, which was eventually granted, allowing the car to continue to be sold in the US.

Read More ..